The Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 82, by Alexander Glazunov is one of his most popular compositions. Written in 1904, the concerto was dedicated to violinist Leopold Auer, who gave the first performance at a Russian Musical Society concert in Saint Petersburg on 15 February 1905. The British premiere of the concerto followed just over a year later, under the direction of Sir Henry Wood and with Mischa Elman as soloist. The American premiere of the work was not until 27 October 1911. It was performed by Efrem Zimbalist at his American debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra."In the World of Music", The Daily Standard Union, Brooklyn. 29 October 1911, p. 15
The violin concerto is quite representative of Glazunov's technically brilliant style. There are no pauses or numbered sections in the concerto; it is nevertheless often described as consisting of either three or four movements, which may be variously labeled.IMSLP: I. Moderato; II. Andante sostenuto; III. Più animato; IV. AllegroMusicWeb International: I. Moderato – (II. Andante sostenuto) – Moderato; III. AllegroRachel Barton Pine : I. Moderato – II. Andante sostenuto – III. AllegroCD EMI CDH-7640302: Jascha Heifetz, John Barbirolli: London Philharmonic Orchestra, 1934: I. Moderato – II. Andante – III. Cadenza – IV. AnimandoCD EMI ZDMF-0777-764831A: Nathan Milstein, William Steinberg: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, 1957: I. Moderato – Tranquillo; II. Andante – Tempo I – Cadenza; III. Animando – Allegro – Più animandoCD BMG 74321-63470-2: Jascha Heifetz, Walter Hendl: RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra, 1963: I. Moderato – II. Andante sostenuto – III. Tempo I – IV. Allegro The slow second movement is seamlessly inserted by the composer into the middle of the first movement, which is an original and rare structural peculiarity of this composition.
The main cadenza at the end of the first movement was composed by Glazunov himself. It utilizes extensive double-stopping technique and is considered one of the most difficult parts of the concerto.
Instrumentation The violin concerto is scored for the following orchestra: 1 piccolo 2 flutes 2 oboes 2 clarinets in A 2 bassoons 4 horns in F 2 trumpets in E and A 3 trombones timpani glockenspiel triangle cymbals harp string section
Recordings A number of recordings of the concerto have been issued commercially. Selected recordings include:
Title and release date Violinist Orchestra and conductor Label and referenceSibelius, Prokofiev & Glazunov: Violin Concertos (Heifetz Remastered)Jascha HeifetzRCA Victor Symphony Orchestra, Walter HendlRCA Red Seal / Sony ClassicalDvořák & Glazunov: Violin ConcertosNathan MilsteinPittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, William SteinbergEMI ClassicsTchaikovsky & Glazunov: Violin ConcertosDavid OistrakhUSSR State Symphony Orchestra, Kirill KondrashinMelodiyaGlazunov: Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op. 82Jana DukanovaPlovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra, Nayden TodorovHal Leonard: MMO3168Glazunov / Dvořák: Violin Concertos in A MinorIlya KalerPolish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Camilla KolchinskyNaxos: 8.550758Glazunov & Kabalevsky: Violin ConcertosGil ShahamRussian National Orchestra, Mikhail PletnevDeutsche GrammophonTchaikovsky & Glazunov: Violin Concertos (1995)Maxim VengerovBerlin Philharmonic, Claudio AbbadoTeldec: 4509908812Mendelssohn / Glazunov: Violin Concertos (1999)Leila JosefowiczMontreal Symphony Orchestra, Charles DutoitPhilips: 464 059-2Russian Violin Concertos (2004)Julia FischerRussian National Orchestra, Yakov KreizbergPentatone: PTC5186059Shostakovich & Glazunov: Violin ConcertosItzhak PerlmanIsrael Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin MehtaWarner Classics: 2564612978Glazunov & Schoeck: Works for Violin and Orchestra (2013)Chloë HanslipOrchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Alexander VedernikovHyperion: CDA67940Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1; Glazunov: Violin Concerto (2016)Nicola BenedettiBournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Kirill KarabitsDeccaKhachaturian & Glazunov: Violin Concertos (2016)Philippe QuintBochumer Symphoniker, Steven SloaneAvanticlassicGlazunov: Violin Concerto and MeditationRachel Barton PineRussian National Orchestra, José SerebrierWarner ClassicsGLAZUNOV, A.K.: Violin ConcertoBronislaw GimpelStuttgart Pro Musica Orchestra, Martin SieghartVox / Naxos: VOX-NX-2003Glazunov: The Seasons & Violin ConcertoOscar ShumskyRoyal Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme JärviChandos
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